premature rupture of membranes at 18wks.

A few days ago I went in for my 18wk appointment to see how the baby was doing and also find out what I was having. I found out that I am having a girl and I am so excited. That very same night i came home and took a bath and shortly afterwards I started leaking amniotic fluid. I was confused as to what could have caused this and knew that it was not normal or just me peeing myself from the baby laying on my bladder.the next day i went back to my doctor. He swabbed me and put it under a microscope then came back and told me that he didn't think this was the case and if it continued ,to come back the next day. It continued that njfht and i went back to my doctor the following day . Sure enough he did an ultrasound and confirmed that there is a decreased amount of fluid and certainly not what we had seen the other day when i came in for my 18wk ultrasound. Then and there he told me that i would be referred to a specialist but he wanted to let me know to prepare for the worst. It felt like I was basically receiving a death sentence for my baby and it didnt help that my doctor was genuinely sad when he told me this news. He had mentioned the word termination and all so i was and am completely devastated. i was given no tips or orders on what to do to help this situation which i thought was strange. The following day i had went to the hospital for leaking too much and havinf pressure in my lower stomach with on and off slight pains. They kept me for maybe twenty minutes while checking my cervix and the babys heartbeat and both were fine. While i was there i asked the doctor if there was anything i could do. Would drinking water help? Could i lay a certain way and it not leak so much? Would staying off my feet and bedrest help me? All answers were no. They told me if i was going to leak im going to leak, if not then not. If it seals then it seals.. And after reading so many stories i cant help but feeling like they are full of shit.(pardon my french) ..im so scared but i guess i am just wondering is there more that i could do. I go to a specialist Monday but its so hard to wait. Anything or any stories would help. Thank you

They are going to offer you a rescue cerclage and possible bed rest. I went thru the same thing last year and doctor placed me on hospital bed rest. They offered the cerclage but they scared me stating that there were risks of complete rupture. I didn't do it, my body have up at 22wks & 5 days, my son was born with various complications and passed after 41 days. I know and pregnant again, was recommended a high risk doctor and she caught the funneling (leak) at 19 wks ultrasound. The next day she scheduled the surgery for the cerclage and placed me on bed rest. I'm currently 32 wks, baby is doing good & scheduled to have stitches removed in 4 wks. Visit the bed rest club for more stories, you will find a lot if great successes. @this point I recommend bed rest, elevate your legs and lots of water. Good luck, I will keep you un my thoughts & prayers.

There is hope! First, join the pprom group on here and facebook. You will get lots of support. I ruptured at 21 weeks, resealed, ruptured again at 26 weeks. She was born at 32 weeks with no medical problems.

From what I have read on pprom and my Dr's course of treatment this is what usually is done:

Antiobiotic course upon rupture even if no infection is seen (studies show it delays delivery), bed rest, no baths or sex, steroids at 24 weeks and admission at 24 weeks due to cord prolapse possibilities, drink tons of water and watch for signs of infection (unusual odor, fever and pain about belly button area).

Very little is known about pprom and Dr's don't see it very often. Luckily my Dr's and the high risk Dr's I saw at two different hospitals were very supportive. Termination was never suggested to me but they did let me know that she would not survive if born before 24 weeks. The website highriskhope.org has a great section on pprom. I pray that you too will be successful!